ALEXANDER     WARK

FATHER:

MOTHER

SPOUSE::

CHILDREN

:

Arrival of Alexander Wark and his family in Canada                                      source Lionel Pretty via Ray Pretty

On May 11, 1821, Alexander Wark, his wife and three children,Margaret was one, sailed from Greenock, Scotland for Quebec.

The journey. aboard the ship Commerce lasted forty days and they arrived in Quebec in June 20,1821.   They were placed

on a steam boat for a two day trip to Montreal.   Their luggage was placed in wagons provided by the Government and

hauled to Lachine, ten miles away.   At Lachine, the passengers were put in flat bottomed boats for the journey up the

St. Lawrence River.   The men had to wade in waist-deep water to guide and pull the boats through the rapids.

After six days on the water, they arrived in Prescott.   There they waited on horses and wagons to take them 74 miles to New Lanark. Alexander Wark and his family left Prescott in late July and the land journey took several days. At Lanark received their land ticket and chose their 100 acres.   On August 7, 1821, forty-eight days after arriving in the new World and almost three months after leaving Scotland, they settled on their new property, the west-half of Lot 18 concession 6 of Lanark Township.   Their first priority was to build a dwelling to house the family during the cold Canadian winter

Daniel Pretty was discharged from the military in mid 1816.   Little is known about where he was and what his occupation was between 1816 and 1825.   Perhaps at a church gathering or other social event, Daniel met Margaret Wark.   She was

about seventeen years of age when they arrived in 1821.    Daniel would have been twenty-four years old in the same year.

In 1824-25, Daniel and Margaret were married at the Presbyterian Church in Middleville, Ontario. For two years they lived on a farm near Middleville and it was here that their first child, Mariia, was born.   They settled on a land grant of 100 acres that had been abandoned by the original owner, Neil  Barr.  The land was rocky and untillable.   The Government exchanged this lot for the east-half of Lot 6, consession 6. Darling Township on April 16, 1830.   Here he spent the rest of his life.   He did not apply for his land patient until six years after acquiring the property.

Their daughter and first son were born on the property at Rosetta.   The remainder were born at the farm in Darling.

Neither Daniel or Margaret could read or write and signed any douuments with an X to which a witness testified was their mark.   When Thomas was able to read and write he looked after all business matters for the family.  

When Daniel was discharged from the army, he was given ten articles from the Government Stores to get started in civilian life;  blankets-3, lock and key-1;latch and catch-1; barn hinges- 1 pair; banon hook-1; beefing hook-1.   He was also given ten pounds of wheat to plant on land cleared by hand from the forest,In the fall the grain was cut by hand and threshed with a frail.

A bag of wheat was carried to the nearest grist mill at that time Brockville, sixty miles.   The flour was carried home for baking.   There were no roads, only bush trails.   The rivers had to be forded as there were no bridges at that time.

There were no cows or pigs so the settlers had no milk or fat to cook with.   There were no horses to haul produce.

Oxen were used as beasts of burden if and when the settler was fortunate enough to get one or two.   Trees were felled

with an axe and logs hewn with a broad axe to make timbers for building houses and barns.   Handmade nails were a scarce commodity and they did not have glass for windows.

Our forefathers were truly remarkable people.